CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vitalist Inc. (TSX-V: VITA.V; OTCQB: VTLSF) (“Vitalist”), a leading electronics company specializing in smart wearable technology and a licensee of prominent global brands, and MicroEJ Inc. (“MICROEJ”), a global leader in wearable software, today announced a landmark strategic partnership with Shenzhen BENIO IoT Technology Co., Ltd (“Benio”), a prominent technology solutions provider with an extensive presence in the Asian market, to bring VitalOS™ to the rapidly growing Asian smartwatch market.

The partnership's first major milestone is a multi-year agreement to launch a Benio-branded smartwatch powered by VitalOS™, marking a pivotal moment in the Company’s global expansion. The Asian smartwatch market represents one of the fastest-growing segments in wearable technology, with increasing consumer demand for feature-rich devices that offer extended battery life and comprehensive health monitoring capabilities. This partnership is a testament to the growing demand for Vitalist's innovative technology and its ability to empower brands to create high-value, feature-rich smart wearables.

This collaboration leverages Benio's strong market position and product innovation focus to accelerate VitalOS adoption throughout the region. The partnership represents Vitalist’s most significant international expansion to date.

“This partnership is transformative for Vitalist, providing us with a dedicated and powerful channel to penetrate the massive and rapidly growing Asian market,” said Elaine Pan, Head of Operations of Vitalist Inc. “We are especially excited to launch in 2026 as it will showcase the VitalOS superior performance and set the precedent for future global partnerships.”

“Partnering with Vitalist allows us to bring groundbreaking VitalOS technology to the heart of the Asian market,” said Michael Yang, CEO of Benio. “MicroEJ’s virtualization technology enables VitalOS to run on diverse hardware with minimal resource consumption while delivering exceptional battery life and robust app ecosystem capabilities.”

VitalOS leverages MicroEJ’s VEE Wear solution to deliver premium user experiences with up to 3 times longer battery life and comprehensive third-party app support, all while reducing hardware requirements and manufacturing costs for device partners.

“VEE Wear enables VitalOS to deliver premium smartwatch experiences on low-power, affordable hardware,” said Fred Rivard, MicroEJ CEO. “Even the most resource-constrained devices can now deliver rich, fluid interfaces and advanced services. This flexibility is a game changer for Asian manufacturers like Benio: it enables them to leverage the latest hardware optimizations while preserving a single software foundation, accelerating innovation and ensuring consistent and exceptional quality across every market tier.”

About MicroEJ:

MicroEJ is a global leader in software solutions for intelligent devices, trusted by industry leaders in consumer electronics, energy, healthcare, and industrial automation. With over 300 million units of MICROEJ VEE sold worldwide, MicroEJ empowers manufacturers to turn standard products into smart, cloud-connected, AI-enabled devices, enabling rapid, complexity-free innovation. By bridging IT and embedded systems, MicroEJ drives scalable transformation that helps industries innovate faster, adapt to market needs, and build a software-driven future for IoT and connected devices.

▷ For more information: Press Kit – Press Room – www.microej.com – LinkedIn

About Shenzhen BENIO IoT Technology Co., Ltd

Benio IoT Technology Co. is a brand innovator specializing in consumer electronics and lifestyle products. With a strong presence in the Asian market, Benio is dedicated to creating modern, stylish, and accessible technology that enhances daily life. The company’s collaboration with Vitalist Inc. and Kang Shuo represents its strategic entry into the rapidly expanding smartwatch sector, with a focus on delivering high-quality, feature-rich wearables to a broad consumer base.

About Vitalist Inc.:

Vitalist Inc. is an innovative technology provider that helps brands build better products. Through VitalOS, brands create seamlessly connected devices and applications that adapt to each user. By uniting hardware and software with intelligent analytics, we're building an ecosystem of personalized solutions that enhance human potential.

▷ For more information visit: www.vitalist.co | Investor Materials

▷ Join the Vitalist distribution list: www.vitalist.co/investors

Investor Relations Contact

For further information about Vitalist Inc. please contact:

Kalvie Legat, CEO
Vitralist
+1 (403) 560-9635
ir@vitalist.ca

Walter Frank
IMS Investor Relations
+1 (203) 972-9200
vitalist@imsinvestorrelations.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. In general, forward-looking information refers to disclosure about future conditions, courses of action, and events. The use of any of the words “anticipates”, “believes”, “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “will”, “would”, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information. More particularly and without limitation, this press release includes forward-looking information with respect to timing of the launch of the VitalOS operating system with Benio, the ability to capture substantial market share in international markets, the expectation that products will create immediate connections with consumers, and related comments on product features and capabilities.

Although Vitalist believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because Vitalist cannot give any assurance that it will prove to be accurate. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this press release. A detailed description of risk factors that may cause actual results to differ materially ‎from forward-looking information can be found in Vitalist’s most recent annual information form and management’s discussion and analysis on the SEDAR website at www.sedarplus.ca. Although Vitalist has attempted to identify in its public disclosure important factors that could cause actual results to ‎differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results ‎not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned that the risk factors in its public disclosure may not ‎be exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information as there can ‎be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Forward-looking ‎information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Vitalist as of the date of this press ‎release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. However, Vitalist expressly disclaims any intention ‎or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future ‎events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities law.